Warning: HUGE spoilers ahead for Avengers: Infinity War! Seriously, turn back now if you have not seen the latest Marvel Cinematic Universe adventure yet! You have been warned!
The Russos have finally delivered Avengers: Infinity War to audiences, and the sheer magnitude of the film's fallout has become apparent. Many of our favorite characters have perished, and the shocking moments will undoubtedly have some massive ramifications leading to Avengers 4. That said, it sounds like Avengers 4 won't be the movie that we think it will be, as the film's screenwriter recently opened up to explain that it won't merely undo the deaths of Infinity War. Christopher Markus spoke out about this in a recent interview, noting,
[Avengers 4] doesn't do what you think it does. It is a different movie than you think it is. Also... [the deaths are] real. I just want to tell you it's real, and the sooner you accept that, the sooner you will be able to move on to the next stage of grief.
Leave your preconceived notions and fan theories at the door, because Christopher Markus seems to think that Avengers 4 is nothing like the movie that we're all imagining. Avengers: Infinity War is all about tearing our heroes apart and leaving a massive body count in the wake of the bittersweet victory for Josh Brolin's Thanos, and Avengers 4 will take the story in an entirely different direction. The deaths that occur in this movie will apparently stick, and the writers of the film intend to "own these choices," which is a major reason why Infinity War doesn't end on a traditional cliffhanger. They are two different movies that share some connective tissue, and this means pressing forward with the game pieces that are still on the board and doing something that audiences won't anticipate, whatever that may be.
Now it's a matter of speculating as to what that could mean in the long run. Avengers 4 remains under tight wraps, with few concrete details about the plot officially revealed. Some rumors seem to suggest that time travel will factor into the story, and many fan theories about the plot suggest that Jeremy Renner's Hawkeye (who may now be Ronin) and Paul Rudd's Ant-Man (among others) could get in on the action in a story that could see Earth's mightiest heroes journey to Japan. That's already a far cry from Avengers: Infinity War's story, so we will just have to wait and see what this unexpected arc will actually look like.
Beyond that, Christopher Markus also took a moment to assure fans of Avengers: Infinity War that the folks behind Avengers 4 haven't used all of their best tricks yet. In fact, the writer continued his conversation with Buzzfeed and doubled down on recent remarks about the film's heightened quality to promise some big things for the next installment. Markus continued:
We broke your heart. Now we're going to blow your mind!
Of course, it's worth noting that we should still expect some characters to return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe after their untimely deaths in Avengers: Infinity War. Though it remains unclear exactly who will come back, some heroes like Spider-Man (Tom Holland) already have commitments in the MCU that extend beyond Avengers 4, as Spider-Man: Homecoming 2 will begin production this summer. It's reasonable to assume that some of the damage will get fixed in the next Avengers movie, but Christopher Markus wants us to understand that it won't be a Ctrl+Z of the events of Infinity War.
As if we weren't already excited enough, now we have those remarks to hold us over for the next year. Avengers: Infinity War is now in theaters, so catch our review and To 3D guide, and make sure to check it out. As for Avengers 4, keep an eye out for the Phase 3 climax when it debuts in theaters on May 3, 2019.
